Noah Deas

Noah Deas (which rhymes with peas) is a playwright and otherwise theatre artist from the Maritimes, with roots in both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and is a graduate of the Playwriting Program at the National Theatre School of Canada. Prior to NTS, Noah graduated with a BA from St. Thomas University, in a degree focused on musical theatre and medieval/classical literature; he’s, obviously, a very practical person.

Noah’s work is characterized by its use of contrast and mirrors; he explores his curiosities about people and the world through a playful Brechtian theatricality. He was once told that he writes plays with a musical sensibility, yet with the stakes of a medieval morality play—something he believes to be true. Noah is obsessed with the working-class communities he grew up in, emergent technology, gayness, truth, and obsession itself. He dreams of theatre rich in concept and design, yet with a strong emotional core.

At the National Theatre School, Noah had the pleasure to learn from and work with many remarkable artists, such as Andrea Romaldi, Nick Carpenter, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Eric Micha Holmes, Dean Patrick Fleming, and Marie Barlizo. Some of his plays developed at NTS include CERBERUS (directed by Emma Welham, with dramaturgy by Eric Micha Holmes), ONLY! WAY! OUT! (dramaturgy by Andrea Romaldi), and Codename: Ladybug (TYA, with dramaturgy by Dean Patrick Fleming, and a reading presented by Geordie Theatre, directed by Amanda Kellock).

Noah works as a playwright, dramaturg, director, as well as a theatre educator. Community is central to his artistic practice, whether it be through his creation of a playwriting group in Fredericton or his facilitation of various community arts projects. He hopes to continue to his work of supporting artists throughout his career.